Noosa River

Queensland Greens spokesperson, Dr Libby Connors, said the latest deaths made the release of the Noosa Fish Health Investigation Taskforce report all the more urgent.

“We know the two veterinary scientists on the scientific sub-committee concluded agricultural chemicals were factors in the fish deaths,” Dr Connors said.

“The public has the right to be concerned about the delay in releasing the final report which was originally scheduled for April.”

Since the taskforce began its investigation:

* Sunfish Queensland has reported an increase in deformities in bream caught along the southeast coast
* The United States Environmental Protection Agency has commenced withdrawing endosulfan from the US market owing to concerns about endosulfan’s environmental harm
* The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) was revealed to have misrepresented chemical test results from the Noosa River

“In the midst of mounting local and international evidence, Australian agencies responsible for monitoring agri-chemical use appear to be in denial about the environmental harm and harm to public health caused by these chemicals,” Dr Connors said.

“We need to know what action, if any, the Queensland government is going to take in the face of this evidence of serious environmental harm.

“How many more fish deaths have to occur before the report will be released?

“The Noosa fish hatchery is clearly the canary in the southeast Queensland environment.”

With the collapse of overseas woodchip markets and the growth of plantation forests, results of a new national poll show unprecedented support for ending logging in Australian native forests.

Launching a new television advertisement calling for an end to native forest logging, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said there had never been a more opportune time for the Commonwealth Government to step in and end conflict over forests forever.

The results of a national Galaxy research poll of 1,100 people show:
* 90% of Australians are in favour of protecting remaining high conservation value forests in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales in national parks.
* 77% agree that the Rudd Government should stop the logging of native forests, which contain large amounts of carbon that would be protected by ending forest clearance
* 72% are in favour of the Federal Government assisting logging contractors to take redundancies, retrain or move permanently to a plantation based industry

“The logging industry is now asking for help to assist workers and companies to shift from unsustainable native forest logging to plantation based forestry,” said Senator Brown.

“The Commonwealth Government should step in.

“Having turned its back on putting a price on greenhouse pollution this is the easiest, simplest way for the Rudd Government to be able to say it has reduced Australia’s greenhouse emissions.

“There is overwhelming public support for the creation of new national parks to protect our precious remaining forests.

“There is no future in native forest logging. Plantation timber is the preference of the global market, and now dinosaur companies like Gunns are in trouble, it is time to end Australian native forest logging forever.”

A meeting of representatives from Australian environment groups convened by Senator Brown last week endorsed the idea that native forest logging should end and that Australia should utilise its existing plantation base for forest products.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown says Australia should follow the ban in New Zealand and Thailand on native forest logging and the new moratorium on logging boreal forest in Canada with an end to logging of native forests here.

“The Rudd government and Abbott opposition should join the Greens in working to transform the logging industry to a plantation-based-future,” Senator Brown said.

“It would be a real breakthrough for Australia and its wildlife, and the opportunity has never so good as now.”

“In Tasmania, Victoria and south-east New South Wales, the end of clear fell logging of high conservation value forests is at hand. The federal and state governments can help workers in the depressed logging industry re-skill or find jobs in elevating these magnificent forests rather than destroying them,” Senator Brown said.

Shen Neng 1 grounded on Douglas Shoals

The Australian Greens say vital clean up measures must be undertaken on the Great Barrier Reef after it was today revealed toxic anti-fouling paint continues to poison marine life in the area around Douglas Shoal destroyed by the Shen Neng 1 last month.

Australian Greens Marine Spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert used the Senate Estimate hearings to investigate the ongoing environmental impact of the Shen Neng 1 disaster,  which gouged a three kilometre channel into the reef, stripping toxic paint from the ship’s hull.

“This toxic, anti-fouling paint continues to kill marine life on the reef, seeping chemicals into the marine environment,” Senator Siewert said today.

“Simply removing the vessel does not remove the paint from the water- a specific, targeted cleanup is absolutely essential, with preliminary estimates indicating that about 35,000 square metres of the reef may be affected,” said Senator Siewert.

“It appears likely the older layers of anti-fouling paint scraped off the Shen Neng 1′s hull contain TBT – a chemical which is leeched from the paint into the seawater and is then  absorbed by marine life.

“TBT has hormone disruptive properties at even low levels of concentration and can remain in the ecosystem for long periods of time, becoming more concentrated as it moves up  the food chain.

“Dr Russell Reichelt, Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Authority told the Senate Estimates that an assessment of the impact of the damage caused by the Shen Neng 1 is likely to be  released in a couple of weeks and include an assessment of the impact of the ant-fouling paint.

“Unfortunately, as put forward during Estimates, some of the paint may be in the form of fine particles, which are easily spread through the ocean, leading to a much larger impact  than the 35,000 square metres currently estimated.

“This toxic paint continues to kill plant and animal life on the reef, adding to the irreparable damaged caused by the ship itself. It is critically important that cleanup efforts are  immediately undertaken.

“The Australian Greens will be tabling a motion to establish a Senate Inquiry into the management of the incident and subsequent cleanup management,” Senator Siewert concluded.

Massive reef damage to Douglas Shoals

The Federal Government has no alternative but to scrap the nomination of Muckaty Station, near Tennant Creek, as a site for Australia’s first ever radioactive waste dump following evidence heard at a Senate inquiry in Darwin, according to the Australian Greens.

“Today we heard first hand accounts of just how flawed the process was that led to Muckaty’s nomination,” said Senate Committee Member Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.

“Numerous Traditional Owners outlined how they and their people were completely excluded from the shared decision making process which is the norm in Aboriginal custom on issues to do with kinship of land.

“Despite claims to the contrary, it is clear they were not properly consulted and have never given consent – a fact human rights lawyers recently confirmed as they assess avenues for a possible legal challenge.

“From all I have heard and read in this inquiry from over 230 submissions, the only outcome is for Muckaty to be scrapped and a fresh process begun that is truly consultative, transparent, scientific, and accountable, as this government promised.

“Labor must now do the right thing by the people of the Northern Territory, not to mention avoid the possibility of an embarrassing, protracted legal battle,” Senator Ludlam said.

The Australian Greens have welcomed the arrival of the Sea Shepherd vessel ‘Steve Irwin’ on a brief stopover in Hobart this morning.

“The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has again shown up the timidity of the Government, seeking to enforce international law while the Australian Government stands on the  sidelines,” said Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.

“These campaigners have inspired Australians with their courage and willingness to act while notionally anti-whaling states like Australia stand by and do nothing.

“The Australian Government has a range of options, starting with official condemnation of Japanese deployment of military personnel to protect illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean and deployment of vessels to at least monitor the situation.

“We should make any future Japanese free trade agreement conditional on an end to the slaughter, and we should commence immediate legal action to enforce the law of the sea.  Instead, the Australian Government has gone silent and left it to the Sea Shepherd to uphold international law,” he concluded.

Australia’s government is absent as the SS Sea Shepherd faces up against the odds in the nastiest confrontation ever between whalers and whale protectors in the Southern Ocean.

“This is a whaling war with Kevin Rudd missing from action,” Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said in Hobart today.

“Japan has two naval vessels involved. Rudd should at least send surveillance planes or vessels to record this David-and-Goliath war over whales.”

“The news that part of Japan’s fleet refuelled in Australia en route to killing whales in Australian waters is revolting. The Rudd government must show some spine,” Senator Brown said.

“We welcome today’s Report on the Impacts of Mining in the Murray Darling Basin, but it falls short of making the obvious recommendation,” Greens Mining Spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

“The report clearly validates many of the concerns raised by Darling Downs and Surat Basin communities at the epicentre of the conflict between resource extraction and farming.

“The inquiry learned that tightening the regulations on a case by case basis – while essential – does not address the question of whether the short term benefits of coal mining on productive farmland outweigh the long-term costs.

“These costs can be great indeed: compromised land, damaged aquifers and reduced food security.

“The Australian Greens believe that leaving this for State Governments to determine is unacceptable and will inevitably lead to the irreversible destruction of some of Australia’s prime farming country.

“The Commonwealth reserves the right to assess and, if necessary, block development projects if they breach matters of national environmental significance.

“We think similar tests should apply in the case of irreversible damage to water resources or destruction of prime farmland.

“We want to see the Water Act 2007 amended to ban mining and extractive industries where they will have adverse impacts on groundwater resources and the environment,” Senator Ludlam concluded.

Natural Arch, Springbook National Park

The Queensland Greens reacted angrily to the announcement by the Bligh government that private investors will be sought to build ‘eco-tourism’ holiday accommodation in seven Queensland national parks.

“It is outrageous to suggest that hotels and permanent accommodation facilities – just resorts by another name – can be built within these sensitive ecosystems without having massive environmental impacts,” said Australian Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland, environmental lawyer Larissa Waters.

“This sort of activity is currently illegal under our nature conservation laws and for good reason. Construction and operation impacts from hotels would devastate national parks by creating edge effects which would see the natural values of the areas degraded and native wildlife utterly disturbed.

“National parks are not income streams for financially incompetent state governments – they are vital areas for preserving what little biodiversity we have left. National parks and profits simply do not mix.

“Our National Parks desperately need more management funding and more rangers, not to be prostituted to resort tycoons to boost state government coffers.

“By all means build eco-tourism facilities just outside of national parks to encourage more people to experience the beauty of Queensland’s diverse ecosystems – but not within the park’s boundaries,” concluded Ms Waters.

“It is shocking that 2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation. This risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, most of which are children, every year,” said Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert.

“Today is World Toilet Day, which some think is funny, but the number of deaths and suffering as a result of poor sanitation is a sobering reminder that more is needed to reduce suffering around the world.”

“Lack of proper sanitation is the world’s biggest cause of malnutrition and infection, causing diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid and worm infections that kill 5,000 children each day.”

“Clean toilets contribute to poverty eradication by protection one’s health and ability to work. Safe collection and treatment of human waste and other various wastewaters protects drinking water sources and eco-systems, creating clean and healthy living environments, particularly in urban areas,” said Senator Siewert.

“Australia’s contribution to sanitation projects in the developing world should be increased. By next year it is expected to increase to $250m, however, this is still below our fair share – Australia’s calculated fair share to sanitation in the Millennium Development Goals is estimated to be $350m.”

“The current sanitation problem in Timor-Leste illustrates this point. Diarrhoea is a leading cause of under-five child deaths in Timor-Leste, accounting for 22% of the total 5,000 children that die every year. Access to sanitation in Timor-Leste is estimated at 41% and the country is perilously short of meeting the MDG target for sanitation. The sanitation improvements that will dramatically improve child mortality and general community health in Timor-Leste are relatively cheap and easily implemented.”

The Senate yesterday passed a Greens motion recognising the importance of World Toilet Day, and calling on the government to invest in foreign aid projects aimed at improving sanitation levels.

“The Senate has backed my calls for the Australian Government to play a constructive, proactive role at the upcoming Global Framework for Action on Water and Sanitation meeting in Washington April 2010. This is the opportunity for global support of sanitation policy leadership,” concluded Senator Siewert.